Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
houses, and this odd effect can be seen by visiting Harmonique, a long-established res-
taurant in the centre of the row, operated by the family who now own the entire row of
houses. Part of the restaurant is set in what was the central alley, roofed over to make
an inner courtyard, and made cosy by coloured lamps and curios. Further down this nar-
row lane, on the river's edge, is a small gem of a temple named Wat Muang Khae, with
a marble-clad ubosot that appears big enough for only a handful of worshippers, and a
stumpy but ornate bell tower, presumably holding the bell that so distracted Sir Ralph Pa-
get.
In its prime, starting from the 1880s, this stretch of riverside must have been magnifi-
cent, and the great centrepiece would have been the Customs House. Originally the office
for collecting duties was on the bank of the Padung Krung Kasem canal but in 1888 Rama
V decided that the port itself, as this stretch of the river had become by that time, was the
proper place for a customs office and so he commissioned a new building. Joachim Grassi,
one of the first of the Italian architects who were to leave such a distinctive identity on
Bangkok during Rama V 's reign, designed the building, drawing up plans that were similar
in style to the Ministry of Defence building that he had designed a few years earlier. There
are in fact three buildings: the central building, facing directly onto the river, and a north
and south wing at right angles, both of them connecting by elevated corridors to the main
building. The style is Neo-Classical, the magnificent façade topped by a giant clock and
the apex of the triangular pediment embellished with the emblem of Rama V .
Inside, the central staircase and the floors are made of teak. The ground floor of the
three-storey central building was used for warehousing. The agriculture department oc-
cupied the first floor with, facing the river, the inbound tax rice office on the left and the
outbound tax rice office on the right. On the floor above, the liquor duty office was on
the left, while on the right was a reception room for foreign officials and traders, which
was used for dance parties and which hosted a welcoming party for Rama V when he ar-
rived back in Siam from the first of his European visits. The Customs House can be found
down the neighbouring soi to Captain Bush Lane, Soi Rong Phasi Khao, the name indic-
ating that it led to the office for collecting rice taxes. Wander down this narrow thorough-
fare and you will find, directly on the riverfront, on what had once been one of the busiest
harbours in the East, the majestic rotting edifice, used now by the Bangrak Fire Brigade,
which parks its red trucks in the fore-court and appears to use the building as a dormitory
and workshop. The customs office moved further downriver to Klong Toei in 1949, and
ten years later the fire brigade moved in, joined in 1968 by the Bangrak Marine Police, and
there, it appears, they are determined to stay. The Customs House is maintained by the
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